


It's More Like Home With You

by orphan_account



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Teenagers, Bullying, Dan Howell and Phil Lester Are Teenagers, Eventual Smut, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Neighbors, Self-Harm, slow burn?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-22
Updated: 2017-12-11
Packaged: 2018-09-19 03:56:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9417464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Dan Howell never really got along with anyone. He stopped speaking when he was five, which not very many people were accepting of.  He communicates through writing down his thoughts, but he much prefers sign language, which he can only use at home. When the Lester's move in next door, Dan is excited to learn that not only does the entire family speak sign language due to their deaf son, but they have a son his age, who likes a lot of the same things as him.Phil Lester is a nerd who is obessed with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Muse. He didn't want to move, because he didnt think he would make any friends, just like his old school. But when he meets the mute neighbor with soft chocolate eyes and brown hair within 24 hours of moving, his hopes get rasied. Will one intense Mario Kart session be enough to spark a friendship, or something much more?(the tags totally give it away oops.)Updates saturdays (probably)





	1. Moving Trucks, Mario Kart and Secrets

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first fic ever, so it's probably really bad, and the only editor is myself lolz. the summary is kind of long, but i hope you guys the first chapter!
> 
> this chapter is: 3512 words

  
  
  


Dan’s Pov

Dan wakes up to the sound of people talking loudly near his house. He groans and rolls over, pulling his pillow on top of his head to hopefully block out the sound some more. Just as he is finally drifting back to sleep, his door bangs open, and his little brother, Adrian jumps onto his bed. 

 

“Dan, wake up, we have new neighbors!” Adrian shouts, as he tries to pull Dan out of his bed by his arm.

Dan groans, and swats Adrian away with his hand.

“Mum wants you downstairs for breakfast.” He screams in Dan’s ear, as if he can't hear him, and he jumps off of Dans bed and darts off down the hall to who knows where.

 

“New neighbors?” Dan thinks to himself as he rolls out of bed. The house next door to them had been empty for five years, after the elderly couple that had lived in it died, and Dan didn't think anyone would ever move into it again.

 

As he makes his way downstairs, he can hear his mum scolding Adrian for taking a second muffin without asking.

 

“But mum, i'm hungry!”

 

“Well, you should have eaten all of your dinner last night. Oh. Good morning Daniel.” His mum spots him walking into the kitchen, and gives him a warm smile.

 

_ Good morning _ , Dan signs back.

 

“What would you like for breakfast, dear?” She asks, gesturing to the piles of food that are sitting on the counter.

 

_ I'm fine with just cereal. _

 

His mum nods, and gets out a bowl and some Crunchy Nut for her son.

 

Adrian says we got new neighbors? Dan asks once his mum has sat down to join them.

 

“Yes, the Lesters. They have a boy your age, I believe. I'm going over later, would you like to join me?” 

 

Dan thinks about it for a second. He is definitely not the most social person, but maybe having an actual friend in school for once would be nice. He nods in response, and his mum smiles.

 

“That’s great, sweetie, I'm going over in about half an hour, so once you finish your cereal, go get dressed and ready, alright?” Dan could tell she was happy her son was being social for once.

 

Once he finished eating, he quickly went upstairs and got dressed, choosing a shirt with moths on it and some black skinny jeans. He then heads to the bathroom and plugs in his straightener so he can tame his natural brown curls. Once he is ready, he grabs his phone, and heads downstairs, where his mum is helping Adrian put his shoes on.

 

“Alright, i think we are all set. Ready, Dan?” Dan nods in response, and holds the door for his family, shutting it behind him on his way out.

 

The walk is short, like literally 15 seconds, and they run into one of their new neighbors as they’re heading to the moving van for some more boxes.

 

“Hello, my name is Susan Howell, and these are my sons, Adrian and Daniel,” his mum introduces them, and Dan nudges her side and gives her a meaningful look. “Oh, sorry, just Dan.” She corrects, a small smile on her face.

 

“It’s lovely to meet you, I’m Catherine Lester, and my sons Martyn and Phil are inside packing with their father.” She responds, politely, smiling at the three of them. ‘Actually,” She says, turning to Dan,”you look about Phil's age, how old are you?”

 

Dan hesitates before turning to his mother. “He is fifteen,” she replies for him, prompting a confused glance for Mrs. Lester. “Dan is mute, sorry, his main way of communication is sign language, so I usually translate for him.” His mother explains with a small chuckle.

 

“Ah, I see,” Mrs. Lester responds with a mischievous smile on her face. She turns back to Dan, now with a huge grin spreading across her face.

 

_ How are you today? _

 

Dan blanches, and almost immediately, a grin just as big is spreading across his face.

 

_ I am good, thank you for asking. May I ask how you know sign language? _

 

“You are very polite dear, and no i do not mind. Our son, Martyn is deaf, you see so the whole family knows it.”

 

Dan just nods along, understanding how difficult things must be. Just then, three men walk out of the house, and join Mrs. Lester in front of them.

 

“Oh, Howard, dear, this is Susan Howell, and her sons Dan and Adrian,  our new next door neighbors,” she says to the eldest man, as she gestures to the three of them.

 

“Howells, this is my husband, Michael, and our sons, Phil and Martyn,” she tells them, and points to each of her family members as she says their name. Dan looks at Martyn, a tall boy maybe a few years older than him.

 

_ Hello, im Dan.  _ Dan signs to him, pleased at the shocked and happy expression on Martyn’s face.

 

_ Hello, Dan, I’m Martyn. How do you know sign language?  _ He signs back quickly, at a speed only someone doing it for as long as the two of them had would be able to understand

 

 _I’m mute, this is my way of communicating at home._ Dan signs back. He smiles at him, and then continues to look down the line of people. His eyes finally land on the last boy, Phil, who is the most beautiful person Dan has ever seen.

 

Phil is very tall, Dan notices, much like himself, and has jet black hair in a similar fringe to Dan’s, only facing the other way. His skin is whiter than the snow that just finished melting a few days ago, and his eyes--oh god his eyes. They are the most striking blue Dan has ever seen, much like the sky on a sunny day, or the ocean when the light hits it just right (as cliché as it sounds.) He then notices that he has been staring at Phil for way too long, and that Phil was now staring back. Dan blushed and looked away quickly, embarrassed at being caught staring. When he looks back up, Phil is smiling at him, and he can't help to smile back.

 

_ Hello, my name is Phil.  _ Phil signs to him with a smile.

 

_ Dan _ .  He replies, with a smile so wide, his dimple appeared.

 

Their parents had begun their own conversation in the midst of the awkward altercations between the two boys, and now Dan and Phil were unnecessarily far apart, so Dan made his way over until he was standing right in front of the boy.

 

“You have a dimple!” Phil notices, and proceeds to poke it on Dan’s face. “I’ve always kind of wanted one.” Dan flushes red, and Phil pulls away instantly, seeming to notice what he had done. 

 

“Sorry,” he says, clearly embarrassed, “I do things without thinking sometimes. I can be a bit weird.”

 

_ It's fine,  _ Dan signs to him reassuringly,  _ I do the same thing sometimes. And i like weird. _

 

Realising what he said, Dan starts to retract his statement, but Phil cuts him off.

 

“Its fine, its fine, i know what you meant.” He assures Dan, and Dan smiles in relief.

 

_ We aren't very good at this, are we?  _ He signs with a smile on his face.

 

“Not at all,” Phil replies, with a matching smile. “I’ve just finished unpacking my room, would you like to hang out? We could play Mario Kart or something, or we could do something else it does--”

 

Dan cuts him off by nudging his shoulder.  _ I’d love to play Mario Kart. But I have to warn you, I am the master.  _ He signs, a cocky grin taking up half his face.

 

“We’ll see about that,” Phil says, as he begins to lead Dan into the house. Dan grabs his arm to stop him and holds up a finger telling him to wait one second. He walks back over to his mum and the Lester’s and waits until there is a break in the conversation until he pulls on her sleeve to get her attention.

 

 _Me and Phil are hanging out for a bit and playing video games,_ he signs, and gives his mum a quick peck on the cheek. His mother has a great smile on her face, and Dan can tell she’s happy he’s made a friend.

 

“Okay, don't be out too late,” she jokes, and Dan rolls his eyes and walks towards Phil.

 

They finally make their way into the house, and Dan notices picture frames already on the walls and lining the staircase. They take the stairs to the second level, and walk past a few open doors which show a bathroom, a master bedroom, another room that must be Martyn’s, and they finally reach the end of the hall where they are met with a closed door that must lead to Phil’s room. Phil opens the door, and walks in, and Dan follows behind him eyes wide as he takes in his surroundings,

 

The actual walls and ceiling are barely visible through the posters that litter every square inch of surface possible. Dan recognizes some of them, immediately noticing multiple posters for Muse, and a whole section dedicated to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The bookshelf in the corner is packed, filled with books, knick knacks and a lot of movies and video games. By just a quick glance over the titles, Dan can tell they have a lot of the same interests. The bed is pushed against the wall opposite the door, with a comforter very similar to Dan’s, only Phil’s is blue and green. Resting on the pillow is a small stuffed lion and a laptop. There is a tv near the foot of the bed, and underneath it is a dvd player and multiple gaming consoles with a bin full of remotes and controllers.

 

Dan notices Phil watching him look around the room, eyes moving a mile a minute, with a grin spread across his pale face.

 

“I know, it’s a bit much, but it looks exactly like my room back in Manchester, and i love it.”

 

Dan gives him a smile back.  _ No, I love it. It’s amazing,  _ Dan signs to him lazily, eyes still wandering. He looks at Phil again, and finds Phil standing there looking at him, a look of pure adoration on his face. Dan blushes and looks down at his feet, and out of the corner of his eye, he can see Phil do the same.

 

“So, you’re the master at Mario Kart, eh?” Phil asks suggestively, pulling the game off of the bookshelf and walking over to the playstation. “We shall have to see.”

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Phils POV

 

“HAH, TAKE THAT, Dan” Phil screams as he crosses the finish line less than a second ahead of Dan.

 

“Master, hah you wish,” Phil continues to gloat, a grin taking up his entire face as he looks over at a pouty Dan.

 

_ You were distracting me!  _ Dan signs, a look of exasperation on his face, but he grins back to let know Phil he’s not actually angry. Kind of.

 

“I was not, I just thought that you might want to be aware of the fact that lions have a very complex social structure, very similar to humans,” Phil says, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.

 

Dan just continues to pout, so Phil nudges his shoulder playfully.

 

“Not my fault you stink, Dan” Phil teases, and as Dan raises his hands to respond, Phil tackles  him onto his back, his hips resting on Dan’s stomach, and his fingers at Dan’s sides, emitting small little laughs and giggles from the boy underneath him. His hands travel up to Dan’s neck, but before they can do any damage, Dan swats them away, a murderous look in his eyes.

 

_ Touch my neck and i will eviscerate you.  _ He sighs, and tries to push Phil off of him. When Phil doesn't budge, he gives up with a dramatic sigh and flops down the floor, arms spread next to him. He closes his eyes, and Phil uses this time to really get a good look at the brown haired boy. He has little freckles and moles scattered across his tanned face, and he has long delicate fingers perfect for the piano or  guitar. His top button came undone as they were playing video games, and Phil now had the perfect view to very defined collar bones.

 

_ Take a picture, it will last longer _ Dan signs, pulling Phil out of his trance. Phil blushes a furious red, highly embarrassed to be caught staring for the second time that day. Dan just smiles at him, and Phil pulls a tug at his heart.

 

Oh no, no no no no no no no no on, he could not be thinking like this. Anyways, Dan was probably straight. He realizes that he is still practically straddling Dan, and gets off, his face turning pink. He looks at his bedside table, where the clock reads, 9:00.

 

“Oh, shoot Dan, it's 9:00, you should probably go, we have school tomorrow.”

 

Dan looks up quickly, not realizing how long they had been hanging out together.

 

_ Wait for me tomorrow morning and we can walk to school together,  _ he signs, a small smile on his rosy lips. Phil smiles shyly and nods, excited to be able to spend more time with the boy. They say their goodbyes, and Phil stands on his porch, making sure Dan doesn't get kidnapped in the thirty seconds it takes him to his own front door. When he finally reaches it, he turns around and waves at Phil, before stepping in and shutting it behind him. Phil walks inside his own house with a smile on his face, happy to have made a friend. 

 

When he gets back upstairs, he lays on his bed, next to the open window, so he can hear the birds. As he’s lying there drifting into his own headspace, he feels something fly near his head, and he shoots up and looks over through the window, where  he sees a smiling Dan in what must be his own bedroom.

 

He smiles and waves.

 

_ Funny seeing you here, do you come here often?   _ Phil signs to the boy, who rolls his eyes in return.

 

_ Been coming here a lot longer than you have, Philly.  _ Dan responds, and Phil smiles at the nickname. 

 

_ How come you can call me Philly, and I don't have a nickname for you? Thats unfair.  _ Phil signs back, with a pout on his face.

 

Dan rolls his eyes and tells Phil to go to sleep and that they will talk about it in the morning. At least that gives Phil something to look forward too.

 

Well, something to look forward to, and something to keep him up another three hours stressing about.

  
  


When Phil wakes up to his alarm beeping, he wants to roll over and burrow into his blanket, but he knows that he can’t be late for his first day of school. He rolls out of bed and makes his way to the bathroom, where he takes a quick shower, and then gets dressed into a red plaid flannel and some black skinny jeans. He brushes his hair into its usual fringe style, and goes downstairs to eat something while he waits for Dan. 

 

“Hey, sweetie, you excited for your first day?” asks his mum as he strolls into the kitchen.

 

“Sure, i guess,” Phil responds as he pulls a muffin off the top of the basket Dan’s mum had brought over yesterday. “At least I have Dan.” He mumbles through a mouthful of muffin, earning a sigh and a head shake from his mum.

 

“Manners, Phil, please,” she says, fake exasperated. “But there is something I would like to discuss with you about Daniel.” Phil gives her a confused look, and sits down across from her at the table, silently begging her to continue.

 

“Well, as you know, Dan is mute,” she starts, and Phil nods in agreement. “But as you also must know, that is not a very common thing. Me and his mother were talking yesterday while you two were hanging out, and she told me that Dan has been bullied in the past.” Phil gasps slightly, shocked that anyone could do something like that to someone as nice as Dan.

 

“I just want you to be aware, in case anything happens again, so you know about the history, and about how important it would be to tell me or his mum.”

‘

As Phil nods in response, there is a knock on the front door. “That’ll be Dan. I will see you when you get home from work later, love you.” Phil says as he grabs his bag off the kitchen chair next to him, and kisses his mum on the cheek.

 

“Good luck, dear,” she calls out, but Phil doesn’t hear her, he's already out the door, greeting Dan with a smile.

 

_ Are you ready for your first day in hell?  _ Dan signs, a joking smile on his face.

 

Phil groans, and nudges Dan’s shoulder with his own. “No, I hate school, especially first days.” he complains.

 

_ Maybe we’ll have some classes together,  _ Dan replies, a slightly hopeful look on his face.

 

As it turned out, they did have classes together, all of them except for Maths and History, After lunch, they say goodbye and part ways, since they aren’t going to see each other until the end of the day.

 

_ Wait for me by the flagpole, we can walk home together.   _ Dan signs, just before Phil could walk away.

 

History and Maths were agonizing, especially without a friend to keep him company. The hour in History with Mr. Smith was absolute torture, and the teacher even made Phil stand in front of the class and introduce himself, which no one else had. As he sat there taking notes and doodling little lions in the margins, Phil found his mind drifting to Dan, as he learned about how The Great War was started. When the bell rang, he scurried to get to math, knowing it was on the other side of the expansive school. He sat there for an hour thinking about how much he hated math, and how he would never need to prove why parallel lines were parallel in his future career.

 

The final bell finally rang, and Phil joined the stream of students flowing through the hallway towards the main doors. He stood by the flagpole and waited, looking around for Dan, but couldn't seem to find him anywhere. Five minutes passed, then ten, and eventually twenty, and Phil wa starting to get really worried. Just then he heard a small grunt and a moan of pain coming from just around the corner of the building.

 

He went to inspect, and was horrified by what he saw.

 

“Faggot.” Someone spit out, with another kick into the gut of the victim. The victim, who, just so happened to be his only friend, Dan.

 

“Hey, what are you guys doing?” He calls out. The three heads snap in his direction and he is met with three angry looking jock faces.

 

“Just teaching this mute fag a lesson, isn’t that right, Pj?” the one who had just kicked Dan asked the boy next to him with curly brown hair and green eyes.

 

“Damn right we are, Chris,” Pj replies, kicking Dan once again, emitting a grunt of pain from the boy.

 

_ Phil, leave before you get hurt, im fine, its okay,  _ Dan signed weakly from the ground, and it made Phil’s heart break.

 

“No Dan, i'm not leaving you, okay?” Phil responds curtly, and Dan just nods weakly in return.

 

“Oh so you speak freak too, huh, new kid?” Chris asks, now cornering Phil against the wall opposite Dan.

 

“Yes, i speak sign language, my brothers deaf, you moron.” Phil knew he was going to pay for his words, and flinched in anticipation.

 

“You’re Lester’s brother?” Pj asked, looking at Chris worriedly, Phil nods,  confused, and is eve more confused when Chris drops his death grip on Phil’s shirt.

 

“Alright, you get off easy this time, both of you. But don’t think you'll be so lucky next time alright, fags?”Chris said, before he stormed away, Pj and the unnamed boy following close behind.

 

Phils gaze follows them, confused, until they reach the corner, and it is then that he rushes over to Dan who opens his eyes, which he had scrunched up, no doubt in anticipation for more beating.

 

“Dan, you’re okay, they’re gone now, it’s just me. Okay? It’s Phil.” Phil was trying to make sure that Dan was alright, and sighed in relief when Dan nodded his head and began standing, leaning on Phil for support.

 

Phil felt a light tap on his shoulder and turned to his friend, who was wincing in pain.

 

“Yes?” He asked, concerned.

 

_ Please…...Please don’t tell my mum. I can explain everything. Just... don't tell her. _   
  


  
  
  



	2. Cuddling, Confessions, and Somewhat Confusing Brothers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this is a few days late, i gave myself a week to work on it, which was too much, because i procrastinated through most of it, but i am here now, on our father Phil's 30th birthday(:/)  
> Anyways, to give myself pressure to finish the next chapter sooner, the next update will be on wednesday (two days), and all updates will be on saturdays and wednesdays now :) thanks for reading and i hope you enjoy this chapter!

Dans Pov

Dan is stumbling down the pavement, supporting his weight on the beautiful boy next to him, trying to focus on anything but the persistent pain coursing through his veins. Sleep seems to come naturally to him at this point, and his eyelids begin to close, causing him to stumble on the pavement below him, and earning him a worried glance from Phil.

“Dan, if you need to slow down, just let me know,” Phil says, and Dan just nods his head like he has the last four times Phil said the same exact thing.

Dan pretends not to notice the worried looks Phil shoots him every once in awhile on their trek home. The plan is for the two of them to go back to Phil’s house, where they can tend to Dan’s wounds until Phil’s mum gets home from work, when they can pretend they had been doing homework and playing video games until Dan had to go home for dinner, hopefully feeling better and not limping.

“I hope you know that i'm not forgetting that you promised to explain to me what happened back there,” Phil mutters after a few minutes of walking in silence. Dan squeezes his eyes shut, and silently curses Phil, as he had, in fact, been hoping he wouldn't have to explain.

Dan just nods his head curtly, and begins to pick up the pace as their houses came into view. He double checks his driveway and sighs in relief when he sees that his driveway was indeed empty, meaning he could get to Phil’s house without being spotted by his mum.

Once they reach Phil’s house, they head straight into the kitchen, where Phil scours the freezer for ice packs and bags of frozen vegetables. Once they have all of the frozen items and plasters they can find, they head up to Phil’s room, where they quickly get to work. Dan busies himself with ignoring how close Phil is to his body as Phil pushes up the front of his sweatshirt to analyze on his abdomen from being kicked.

As Phil makes quick work on reducing the swelling with a bag of peas they found, Dan sees him blushing, and decides to try to distract the both of their minds. He taps Phil’s shoulder, and the black haired boy’s head immediately shoots up worry in his eyes.

“I'm not hurting you, am i?” Phil asks, his voice practically dripping with concern. Dan shakes his head.

No, i just needed to ask you something Dan signs to the boy below him. 

“Oh okay, ask away,” Phil said, a small smile playing on his lips. 

Why were Chris and Pj scared when you said Martyn was your brother?

The smile on Phils lips disappears, and a thoughtful look takes over his face.

“I’m not really sure, I had been wondering the same thing,” Phil replies, now finishing his work on Dan’s abdomen.

Oh, okay. I was just wondering.

“No, it’s fine, I would be curious too. Actually, I am.”

Dan just smiles, and tries not to notice how heavy his eyelids are. He stares at the ceiling as Phil places some plasters on his now significantly less swollen stomach. He sits up once Phil is done, and Phil reaches for his arms to check them, causing Dan to jerk back immediately.

No, it’s fine, they didn’t get my arms. He signs rapidly, almost too fast for Phil to understand. He turns pink, and looks away, turning his direction to Phil’s bookshelf.

“I just wanted to check, but if you say they’re fine i believe you,”Phil said, a caring tone in his voice, although Dan could tell he still wanted to check. No. That wasn’t happening. Dan smiles gratefully, even though he knows all isn't forgotten.

Mario Kart?

“Yeah, sure,you set it up and I’ll get us some snacks,” Phil says before leaving his bedroom and Dan listens to him walk down the stairs to the kitchen. Once he hears Phil moving around, he lets out the breath he was holding in, and started to control his breathing, in for 7, out for 11, to make sure he wouldn’t start hyperventilating. He starts to set up Phil’s xbox, and tries to forget how close Phil had been to rolling up his sleeves.

He turns on the xbox, and once it’s on, he sits near the foot of the bed and starts picking out his character, and waits for Phil to come back up, texting his mum that he’ll be home late, but in time for dinner. Phil stumbles his was through the door, tripping a little on who knows what, and almost spilling the maltesers and ribena he had been holding in his hands.

Wow, literally my two favorite things, thanks Philly.

“You know, we never did give you a nickname, did we?” Phil says with a mischievous smirk on his face, as he climbs on the bed across from Dan, throwing the other boy a bag of maltesers.

Oh, great. This should be interesting. Dan rolls his eyes, but he has a smile on his face.

Dan sits there for a few minutes as Phil sits across from him staring at his face, with a look of concentration. After a few minutes, Phil’s face lights up, and he starts laughing.

“What if i called you Danny Boy,” Phil asks, interrupting himself by bursting into giggles.

Dear god, no, absolutely not. Dan signs, his nose crinkling with distaste.

“Hahahahaha, absolutely yes,” Phil says, a grin taking up his entire face.

Dan rolls his eyes. That's longer than my actual name it contradicts the purpose of a nickname.

“Yes, and Philly is longer than Phil. Although, Danny Boy is a bit of a mouthful, I'm going to shorten it to just Danny.”

Whatever you want, Philly. I'm too tired to argue right now. Dan’s eyelids are beginning to droop on their own accord. He can just make out Phil smiling at him fondly.

“Rest now, video games later?” Phil asks, already knowing the question. Dan just nods sleepily, and Phil carefully takes the almost empty bag of maltesers out of his hands, and Dan feels Phil begin to pull his body up towards the top of the bed. He scoots himself up and immediately lays down on the pillows.

As he begins to fall asleep, Dan feels Phil pull down the covers next to him, climb in, and tuck the two of them in together. Dan finally let's sleep overtake him, and sighs contently into the pillows.

When Dan opens his eyes again, he feels extremely warm. It takes him a few muments in his sleep haze, but he eventually realizes that his face is tucked into Phil's neck, one of his arms under Phil’s body, and the other one wrapped around his waist, with his legs intertwined with Phil’s and his body tucked into Phil’s front. Phil has his head resting on top of Dan’s, his arms hugging Dan protectively, and his torso pressed against Dan’s.

Dan smiles to himself as he watches the peaceful look on Phil’s face. When Phil starts to stir, Dan closes his eyes and pretends to sleep so he is not caught watching Phil sleep, as that could be extremely awkward He can feel Phil smiling into his hair, and then lightly shaking Dan’s shoulder.

“Dan, wake up, you have to go home soon,” Phil says softly to the sleepy boy under him.

Dan opens his eyes and looks up into Phil’s bright blue ones. He smiles and untangles his body from Phil’s, sitting up and reaching towards the end of the bed for his phone. When he sees that he has no messages, but does indeed have to go home soon, he looks back and sees Phil looking at him weirdly.

What?

“Your hair, it looks different.”

Dan reaches up and pats his head, his fingers being met with his familiar natural curls. He wrinkles his nose.

“What? I like them,” Phil says, smiling softly and reaching forward to pat them.

With this gesture, And it starts to dawn on Dan what has happened in the past few minutes. He had woken up practically on top of Phil, wrapped in his arms. They had been staring into each other's eyes affectionately. Phil had pat his curls, a look of content on his face. Shit.

I have to go. Dan signs rapidly. Phil nods, but on his face there is a look on confusion.

“You can stay a little longer, if you want. It’s only five.”

No, i should go now. Dan stands up to get his shoes from the other side of the room, but stops when he feels a hand wrap around his wrist.

“Look Dan, I don’t know what’s wrong right now, but i’m not letting you leave until you tell me what happened earlier, like you promised.” Dan sighs, but he nods, and sits back down, looking down at his hands and playing with the sleeves on his jumper.

He looks up and looks Phil directly in the eye, met with two small oceans filled with worry.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Phil’s POV

As Phil patiently waits for Dan to begin signing, he looks at the boy across from him try to search for the right words.

Chris and Pj…they don't like me very much, Dan starts, looking nervous. They think that there’s something wrong with me. So they beat me up. Almost everyday. Today was the first that anyone ever stood up and stopped them. Dan has tears beginning to form in his eyes, so he blinks them away, letting them slide down his cheeks.

“But, why? Why do they think something's wrong with you? Because you don’t talk? And why wouldn’t anyone help you?” Phil has so many questions now, and they tumble out of his mouth. 

Hold on, I’ll answer everything in a minute.

 

Phil nods, and Dan takes another deep breath.

When you ask why no one helps me, the answer is simple. Everyone else hates me too. No one cares about the way I’m treated, so no one stops them. Another tear slides down Dan’s face.

I can talk, you know. I just don't anymore. So when i stopped speaking, everyone thought that there was something wrong with me, and that since i was different from the rest of them, i was too weird to talk to. All of my friends stopped talking to me, and I became a loner. I realised i was happier that way.

Phil nods along as he listens, his own eyes watering as he listens to the sad words Dan has to say. He wants to ask more questions, but he doesn’t want to pressure Dan into saying too much, so he keeps his mouth closed. 

There's another reason, though. Another reason they hate me.

When Dan stops, Phil grasps his hand and holds in in between his. Dan yanks it away, and Phil stares at his now empty hands, confused.

“Dan, no matter what it is, you can tell me.”

No, I don’t want you to hate me too.

“I could never hate you, Dan.” Phil was concerned now, along with confused. What could Dan have possibly done to make him this nervous.

I...I’m gay, Phil.

Phil lets out a shaky breath. He sees Dan looking at his face, and then turn around to get up. Phil reaches out for the second time and grabs Dan’s wrist as he tries to walk out again. Dan stops, but doesn't turn around, so Phil stands up and stands in front of him.

“Dan, I don’t hate you. I could never hate you.” Dan is staring at the ground beneath them, so Phil cups Dan’s chin in his hand and raises his head to look into his eyes.

“Dan, look at me. I promise you, I wouldn't stop talking to you over something as little as your sexuality, Okay? It doesn't matter to me.” Phil uses his thumb to wipe away the tears threatening to spill out of Dan’s eyes.

Promise? Dan looks up at Phil with his watery chocolate eyes, full of sadness, but there is a glimmer of hope lying beneath them.

“Promise.” This earns a small smile from Dan, and Phil leans down and wraps his arms around the slightly shorter boy in front of him, and feels Dan bury his face into Phil’s neck. They stand there like that for a few minutes, but Dan has to leave for dinner, so he pulls away first, and Phil nods, understanding why.

“It's fine, i know you need to go home. Let me just double check your stomach, okay?” He is already lifting Dan’s shirt as he says this, and with a quick check he can see that the swelling had gone away almost completely while they were sleeping, and he relays this message to Dan.

That’s good, it will probably be good as new tomorrow. Dan responds, the smile from earlier gone, but the happiness still residing on his face. He turns to open the door to leave, but Phil interrupts him once again, this time just with his voice.

“Dan?”

Yes , Philly?

“I’m gay too.”

Phil doesn't know how Dan is going to respond, so he stands there holding his breath waiting for the brown haired boy to sign something. But, instead of saying something, Dan just turns around, his face bearing the biggest grin Phil has ever seen, and then he turns and walks out the door.

The rest of the night was fairly uneventful, Phil ate dinner with his family, then went back up to his room to work on the homework he’d neglected all afternoon. When he looked through his window, he saw Dan in his room, writing something hurriedly at his desk. As if he could sense that Phil was back in his room, Dan looked up through his window, and gave Phil a small wave. Phil waved back, then continued to try to find the value of x for the third time on his maths homework.

By the time he goes to bed, Dan’s light has been off for a while now, and Phil’s house was almost completely silent. Phil has had the habit of staying up way too late for years, getting sucked into the worlds of his favorite youtubers, and tv shows, the fanfiction too interesting for him to mark for later, when he didn’t need to be sleeping.

He eventually falls asleep, and when he wakes up and checks his phone, it’s ten minutes after he was supposed to meet Dan so they can walk to school together. When he goes to sit up, his head collides with something and he hears a grunt of surprise coming from right in front of him.

Good morning to you too, Sunshine.

“Shut up,” Phil says, punctuating the statement with a yawn and a stretch. Dan gives him a small smile, his cheeks pink.

You might want to get ready soon, if you don't want to be late to school.

“Yeah, I suppose so.” Phil climbs out bed, and makes his way over to his closet, looking for an outfit to wear. He immediately picks out a tshirt with the different avengers weapons and some black skinny jeans. When he turns around, he sees Dan still sitting on his bed, only now he is facing the other way, his back to Phil. It is easy to tell the purpose of this position, so Phil uses the opportunity to get dressed, and plug in his straightener. When he is no finally decent, he taps Dan’s shoulder so he can turn around, and goes over to straighten his hair.

“I’m almost ready, so we shouldn't be too late,” Phil says, looking into the mirror to see Dan behind him.

Okay. No rush, i'm never exactly in a hurry to get to school.

“Okay. You know, you didn’t have to wait for me. I would have been fine on my own.” 

I don’t mind, really. You would wait for me, wouldn’t you? 

“Of course i would,” Phil unplugs his straightner, and turns around to face Dan, a smile on his face. He puts on his shoes, grabs his backpack, and heads into the hallway, Dan following him and closing the door.

“Bye mum, have a nice day!” Phil calls into the kitchen on their way out the door. They barely hear a muffled response as Phil closes the door and they begin to speed walk down the pavement towards the school.

They hardly make it to their first period class on time, and when the rush through the door, they realize they are the last people to arrive. They quickly find two seats together in the back of the room, and sit down and get out the books they were assigned yesterday, trying to catch up on the reading they didn’t do yesterday afternoon, skimming the first few chapters in the five minutes they have before class starts.

The next few periods go by without ease, and Phil is grateful. He knows how awkward things could have turned out after their talk yesterday, but things seem to be pretty normal. He’s been constantly thinking about how he felt his heart flutter whenever Dan smiled that first day playing Mario Kart, and how sure he was he wouldn't have a chance with dan, assuming he was straight. Even with this newfound knowledge of Dan’s sexuality, Phil isn’t going to try to make a move or anything, he doesn’t want to ruin their rapidly growing friendship.

Phil feels a tap on his shoulder, and suddenly he is brought back to the present, in the cafeteria, at a table completely empty, save for him and Dan.

“Hey, sorry, guess i was spacing out,” Phil says, once he snaps out of his trance, which he now realizes was directed at Dan’s face.

No problem, I assumed as much. I just had a question.

“Okay, ask away.”

Did you talk to Martyn at all last night? About the... incident yesterday.

Phil sighs and shakes his head. “No, i barely saw him yesterday. By the time you left i had time to do homework and eat dinner, and it’s kind of hard to talk to him when his hands are full, you know?” He lets out a little chuckle at the end, to let Dan know that he’s joking, and is relieved when he gets a silent laugh in return.

Yeah, i guess i could relate to that. Dan silently giggles once more, and Phil is mesmerized by the way his face crinkles when he’s laughing. It’s fine though, I was just wondering, since it’s so weird that they would just back off like that.

“Yeah, it was pretty weird.” Phil says, but his voice is spacey, because he sees Chris and Pj enter the room, and look directly at them.

“Oh no,” He mutters, looking down at his tray.

Dan starts to turn around to look behind him, curious, but Phil kicks him under the table.

Ow, what was that for?

Chris and Pj, 12 o’clock. Phil signs, suddenly very glad they can communicate without anyone hearing them.

But Chris and Pj dont come over to harass them like Phil thought they would. Instead they sit at a table a few rows down, where Phil immediately recognizes the person already sitting there. Martyn.

“Wait, are they friends?” Phil thinks aloud, causing Dan to turn around completely and take in the same sight as Phil.

Maybe that's why they backed off yesterday Dan signed with a shrug, and continued to eat his sandwich, while Phil stared at his brother and his apparent new “friends.”

After lunch, Dan and Phil part ways to go to their different classes, and agree to meet by the flagpole again today, and they part ways with a wave. When the final bell finally rings, Phil rushes to his locker and out to the flagpole, where today, thankfully, Dan is standing there, waiting for him with a heartwarming. They go home and do their homework together, ending the evening with some Sonic, which Phil, of course, loses, because he’s rubbish at Sonic, and when Dan wins, Phil demands a rematch, this time singing loudly in Dan’s face trying to distract him, and giggling when Dan pushes him into the carpet, holding him there with one hand, and finishing the level with the other, in less than half the time it had taken Phil.

Eventually, Dan needs to leave, and when he does, Phil is sad to see him go. The rest of the night is mundane, Phil eats dinner with his family, goes up to his room and sits on the internet for a few hours, only tonight something is different. Out of all the things that had happened recently. Moving, the bullies, whatever was going on with Martyn, and a million others, he could only focus on one thing as he was falling asleep. How it had felt to wake up with Dan in his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alright, i know some of you wanted some answers about Martyn, and you shall get them, just you wait. Also, there were multiple scenes that i purposefully wrote as if Dan and Phil would kiss, and the didn't, leaving in the suspense and creating some tension, meanwhile making the whole thing anticlimatic (at least thats what i tried to do)
> 
> Thanks for reading, i hope you enjoyed it, see you wednesday!


	3. Bullies and Old Factories and Sleepovers (oh my!)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> About a week has passed, and Dan and Phil are already best friends. When one fateful friday morning, the day of their first sleepover brings Dan's fist flying towards his bullies, he escapes with the help of Phil's brother, Martyn's backstory is finally revealed. Instead of going to school, Dan brings Phil to his secret hideout, and they stay there until it's time to go to Phil's house and spend eight hours in a bed together
> 
> (The chapter titles cheesy asf, ik)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so this is really late, my parents took away my laptop and my school has the worlds shittiest wifi, so here i am, almost a month late, and half of this was typed in about two hours so i apologize for the content lol
> 
> also i was rereading the first two chapters and i realized that the second chapter DIDNT ITALICIZE IM SORRY IT WAS PROBS CONFUSING AS FUCK
> 
> ill update asap, bc im starting the next chapter rn

 

Dans Pov

 

The next week passed with ease, with minimal encounter with Chris and Pj, and every afternoon with Phil. The two boys had grown even closer in the time that passed, and after school today, they were going to Phil’s house again, only tonight, Dan was staying the night.

 

Dan woke up happier than he had been in a while. He had never had a friend before, and with each day he woke up knowing he would get to spend time with one, he was happier. He could tell that there was something going on with Phil, but whenever he asked about it Phil just brushed him off and told him he was fine, but Dan didn't want to pry, so he just let it go.

 

He finally manages to drag himself out of bed, half an hour before he is supposed to meet Phil, which gives him enough time to shower and straighten his hair. When he is out of the shower and ready to get dressed, he heads back into his room and straight into his closet.

 

“Morning, Sunshine.”

 

Dan jumps and whirls around, instinctively pulling his towel up and wrapping his arms around his chest.

 

_ Jesus, Phil, were you trying to give me a heart attack? _

 

“No, i just still needed to get back at you for the other morning,” Phil says, laughing.

 

_ Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just turn around, please. _

 

“Whatever you say, Danny.”

 

Dan rolls his eyes, and makes a quick job of pulling on a dark jumper over his head and wriggling into a pair of black skinny jeans. When he turns back around, he sees Phil facing the opposite way. He taps Phil’s shoulder to let him know he is decent, and Phil turns around with a smirk on his face.

 

_ What? _

 

“Oh, nothing, you just look good this morning.”

 

Dan blushes, and turns around, reaching for his shoes, trying to figure out why Phil is acting so weird this morning.

 

“I can see you thinking over there. What about?”

 

_ You. _

 

SHIT. 

 

_ Wait, no, that's not what i meant, i meant you’re acting weird this morning.  _ Dan signed, his hands stuttering.

 

“It's fine, Dan, i figured as much.”

 

Dan sighs with relief, still nervous anyways. He could feel the air changing between them the past few days, and wasn’t sure what was happening exactly, but didn’t want to make things even more awkward.

 

They eventually make their way out Dan’s front door, calling goodbye to Dan’s mum and Adrian, who were still eating breakfast.

 

“So, anything exciting happening today?” Phil asks casually, trying to make conversation.

 

Dan snorts.  _ As if you wouldn’t already know, we have almost every class together. _

 

“True. Although, we do have an english test today, if you count that as exciting.”

 

_ Yeah, about as exciting as a worm. _

 

“Are you excited about tonight?” Dan looks over at Phil, who is fidgeting with his sleeves, something he does when he’s nervous.

 

_ Nope, not at all, in fact, I’m dreading it.  _ Dan rolls his eyes.  _ Of course i am, you spork. It’s all i've been looking forward to since you asked me on Wednesday. _

 

Phil’s smile lights up the pavement. “Figured i’d ask,” he says with his hands up in surrender.

 

They walk the rest of the way in comfortable silence, both stealing glances at each other when they thought the other wasn’t looking. Dan’s hands and shoulders occasionally brush Phil’s since they were walking so close to each other, but he didn’t really mind.

 

When they reach the front doors of the school, the first thing Dan noticed was the large crowd of students, standing in a circle, watching something in front of them. When they get closer, he can see that it’s Chris and Pj, beating up some freshman.

 

“What’s going on?” Dan heard Phil ask someone in the crowd.

 

“Some freshman tripped and knocked Chris over, so they’re beating the shit out of him,” the student told him. But Dan couldn’t really focus on the conversation next to him, all he could pay attention to was the look of pain flash across the kid’s face every time a fist or foot came in contact with him.

 

Dan starts to push his way through the crowd. In the distance, he can hear Phil calling for him.

 

“Dan, what the hell are you doing, come back here!” He can hear the fear in Phil’s voice, but something tells him that helping the boy is more important. He no longer needs to push through the crowd, since people were realising what he was doing, and started to make a path for him.

 

When he reached the center of the circle, Chris and Pj were too busy punching and kicking to notice Dan behind them. Dan used this to his advantage. He walked up to where Chris was whispering horrid things to the boy, pulling his fist back in preparation for another blow.

 

Dan leans over and taps Chris’ shoulder, then stands up and stands there as Chris freezes in shock, then turns around slowly, a look of astonishment on his face. 

 

“Oi, did you come for a beating too?” He asks, a malicious grin on his face.

 

Dan shakes head, and before he can comprehend what he is doing, he quickly draws his fist back and punches Chris across the face with enough force to split his lip and knock him onto his ass. Some of the people in the crowd use this distraction as an opportunity to drag the freshman away from the chaos, and into the crowd, where one of the nicer football players picks him up and takes him to the nurse.

 

Dan, however, is still in the middle of the circle, now faced with a shocked PJ, and a very pissed off Chris. When Chris starts to get up, someone grabs him and holds him back, and Dan sees that it’s Martyn, who looks at Dan and loosens his grip around Chris enough to sign a single word.

 

_ Run. _

 

Dan doesn’t need to be told twice, as he spins on his heel, and sprints in the direction he came from, barely stopping to grab Phil’s hand and pull him along, leading him to the back of the school.

 

They finally stop, both of them falling to the ground, backs against the brick wall, panting, trying to catch their breath.

 

“Dan, what the hell happened back there?” Phil asks, taking a large breath between each word.

 

_ I punched Chris to the ground and ran. I don’t know what came over me. Fight or flight, i guess, and i chose both. _

 

“I absolutely adore you right now.”

Dan blushes. Hard. And when he looks over at Phil, he sees that his face is also bright red.

 

_ I know what you mean.  _ Dan smiles at Phil, whose blush lessens. 

 

“Anyways, how did you manage to escape the wrath of Chris? I imagine he’d be very hard to run from.”

 

Dan looked at the ground, avoiding eye contact with Phil.

 

“Dan, what happened?”

 

_ Martyn held him back and signed for me to run, so i did. _

 

“Martyn? My brother, Martyn?”

 

Dan nods, and looks away again. He can sense Phil’s worry, and can’t help but blame himself for causing it.

 

_ I shouldn’t have left him, i’m sorry. I’m sure he’s fine, though. Pj and Chris seemed pretty scared of him last week. _

 

As Dan signs, his hands falter. Did they really just meet a week ago? It seemed like it had been months, years even, since he had met the black haired boy next to him. He smiles at the thought of them getting so close so quickly.

 

“It’s fine, honestly. Martyn can handle himself trust me,” Phil says, his voice bitter. Dan looks over at him, and he’s looking at the ground, a look of distaste in his eyes. Dan taps his shoulder to get his attention, and when he looks up, Dan can’t read his eyes like he usually can.

 

_ Phil, what’s going on with Martyn? _

 

Phil sighs, and tugs on his sleeves some more, waiting a few seconds before talking. Dan sits there patiently, knowing how hard it can be to explain some things.

 

“We didn’t move here for my dad’s job. Actually, it was hard for him to find one on such short notice. We left because Martyn started to make some really bad decisions, and he got expelled,” Phil explains, his voice shaky.

 

“He had gotten made fun of for being deaf, so he decided he wanted people to fear him, instead of fear people himself. He started smoking weed, and he joined a ‘gang’,” Phil explains, putting air quotes around the word “gang”.

 

“One day, him and his friends were really high, skipping class and walking around school grounds, when they saw someone from their school walking near them and laughing at something on his phone. They thought he was laughing at Martyn, and th-they--” Phil’s voice breaks, and there are tears running down his face. Dan shifts over to his friend and wraps an arm around him, pulling him closer.

 

_ You don't have to tell me if you don't want to.  _

 

“No, i want to, i just haven't really said it aloud before.” Phil sniffles and takes a few deep breaths before continuing his story.

 

“They beat him up, Dan. Really badly. He had to go to the hospital from a broken wrist, leg and a lot of blood loss.” Phil rests his head on Dan’s shoulder, and Dan hugs him even tighter.

 

“Last week when Chris and Pj ran away, and i assumed they knew about Martyn’s past, but they wouldn’t have been so scared if that was it, so i’ve been doing research. The kid they beat up was Chris’ cousin. I don’t doubt the only reason they were friends was to protect themselves.” He hiccups at the end from crying, and Dan pats his back.

 

_ I don’t doubt it either _ Dan admits. He’s known Chris and Pj for years, and it wasn’t hard to believe that they would befriend someone just to save their own asses.

 

The bell rings, reminding them that they should be in class right now, but neither boy makes to get up, instead both of them remain sitting there, Dan’s arm around Phil, Phil’s head on Dan’s shoulder, and a small smile on both of their faces.

 

_ I know a place we can go. _

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Phils Pov

 

Phil has no clue where Dan is taking him, but follows him down the pavement leading away from the school and towards the quiet part of town. They walk in silence for about five minutes, until Dan turns around abruptly and puts his hands on Phil’s chest to stop him.

 

“What, are we here?” Phil asks, looking around in confusion at the empty road around him.

 

_ Nope, but we’re almost there. I just need you to close your eyes.  _ Dan has a smirk on his face, and Phil doesn’t hesitate for a second before closing his eyes and putting his trust in Dan.

 

He feels a warm, soft hand around his right one, and walks in the direction it's pulling him in, using his left hand to cover his eyes. He’s very curious, but wants to be surprised, so he keeps his eyes shut.

 

His hand is dropped for a second, and he hears some rustling, and the sound of a door being pushed open (with a lot of effort, based on Dan’s grunts), and eventually his hand is being held again, leading him inside. Dan’s hands pull Phil’s off of his face, and Phil opens his eyes, which immediately open in wonder.

 

The room is huge and empty, it must have been a warehouse or something at some point, but it had clearly been abandoned for a while. In the middle of the room, under a skylight, is a pile of comforters and pillows, surrounded by stacks of books and journals., and a lantern, a few unlit candles and some torches are scattered around it

 

“Dan, what is this place?” Phil asks, his voice filled with wonder.

 

_ Secret hideout. Found it a few years ago while i was running from Chris and Pj. They never found it, and since it hasn’t been used since the 50’s, i figured i’d make it my own little place. _

 

Phil watches Dan, and he knows there’s a look of adoration on his face, but he doesn't care. Twenty minutes ago he was telling Dan about his brother, crying, and now he’s standing in the middle of an abandoned warehouse with his (incredibly cute) best friends.

 

“It’s amazing,” Phil says, and he revels in the feeling of making Dan smile like he did, big enough so his dimples were showing.

 

Phil has spent the past few days trying to ignore whatever feelings he might have towards Dan, but so far, all attempts have seem to failed. He can’t ignore the twist in his heart when Dan smiles at him, or the way his breath faltered this morning when Dan said he was thinking about him. Right now he shakes these thoughts out of his head though, and makes his way to the large pile of comforters and blankets.

 

“How did you manage to get all of this here without your mum or adrian noticing?” Phil asks, gesturing to the assortment of things in front of them.

 

_ Only took things a few at a time, sometimes snuck out at night to bring the blankets and stuff, and just brought the books and torches to school in my backpack. _

 

“How am i just now finding out about this?”

 

_ I haven’t been here in about a week, i’ve been a little preoccupied.  _ Dan smiles at Phil, and Phil smiles back.

 

The two boys lay down next to each other on the blankets, and Phil watches as Dan reaches down and pulls up a pile smaller blankets, draping it over the two of them. 

 

Phil feels Dan tap his shoulder, and looks over to him, where he is waiting with his hands up and a smile on his face.

 

_ It’s beautiful at night, when you can see the stars through the skylight, and the moon is lighting up the sky. _

 

“I’m sure it is beautiful. Next time you’ll have to bring me with you when you sneak out, we can look at the stars together.”

Phil can feel a blush rising in his cheeks, and when he looks at Dan out of the corner of his eye, he sees the same on the other boy. 

 

They lay there peacefully  for about ten minutes, when Phil feels sleep beginning to overcome him.

 

“Dan, m tired,” he mumbles sleepily, rolling onto his side and cuddling into Dan. He can hear Dan’s heart, it’s racing. He feels a pair of arms wrap around his body, and he burrows even deeper into the warmth, finally letting sleep take over.

 

When Phil wakes up, he is curled into Dan, who has one arm wrapped around him, and one arm is rested on his waist, holding a book. Phil looks at Dan’s face, and he is completely absorbed in his book, and hasn't noticed that Phil is awake yet.

 

“Hey,” Phil whispers, his voice rough from sleep.

 

Dan looks down at Phil and smiles, then immediately goes back to reading. Phil wonders what Dan would be so wrapped up in, so he looks down at the book and chuckles when he reads the title.

 

“Winnie the Pooh, really Dan?”

 

_ I can’t help it, it’s a good book. _

 

“Have you read it before?”

 

Dan nods.  _ About 50 times. _

 

Phil laughs, because of course Dan has read winnie the pooh so much.

 

They lay there for a few minutes, enjoying the silence, Dan focused on his reading and Phil lost in his own thoughts. They are finally interrupted by Dan’s phone going off. They both flinch, and Dan pulls his arm out from under Phil to reach for it. Just then Phil realizes how intimate their laying there cuddling was, and he blushes.

 

_ School’s ended. Wanna go home? _

 

Phil looks at his watch, and is surprised to see that it is indeed already 3:00.

 

“Shit, how long was I asleep?” He asks, laughing at himself.

 

_ A long ass time. Checked to make sure you were alive a few times. _

 

“Haha, very funny. But we should go home. You’re still staying over, right?”

 

_ If you still want me to. _

 

“Of course I do,” Phil says, offering Dan a smile. Dan returns it, and they begin to collect their things, and start to walk home.

 

When they finally to their street, they go to Dan’s house first so he can pick up what he needs. They go up the stairs to Dan’s room, and Dan immediately grabs a bag from his closet and starts stuffing it with some clothes and an assortment of chargers as Phil takes a seat on the bed. He ends with grabbing his laptop, and turns around to leave, but Phil grabs his wrist before he can make it out the door.

 

“Can I just ask a favor before we leave?” Phil bites his lip nervously, and Dan nods, looking worried.

 

“When we get there, can we please not talk to Martyn. I don’t even know what to say to him.”

 

_ Yeah, of course. I completely understand. _

 

Phil can feel his entire body relax. “Thank you.”

 

They go downstairs, where Phil waits by the front door as Dan says goodbye to his mum and Adrian. They then head over to Phil’s house, where they make it up the stairs and halfway down the hall, before they are stopped in the hallway by Martyn.

 

_ Are you guys okay? I didn’t see you at school after the fight,  _ Martyn signs to them, looking worried.

 

_ Yeah, we’re fine.  _ Phil signs back, and then grabs Dan’s hand and pulls him down the hallway. Once they’re in his room, he watches as Dan tosses his bag to the side and immediately lays down on the bed.

“Are you going to nap, or are am i going to beat you at Mario Kart,” Phil asks with a smile.

 

_ Oh please, you wish _ Dan sits up and signs back, and Phil just grabs the game off of his bookshelf, and puts it in the xbox. Him and Dan start playing immediately, Phil trying to distract Dan, and Dan winning the level by randomly rubbing the controller on his face.

  ---

 

“WHAT?! How is that even possible?”Phil is shouting, and he doesn't care, he’s having too much fun. He only stops when there is a knock on his door.

 

“Come in,” he calls to whoever is on the other side of the door, which opens slowly to reveal a shy looking Martyn.

 

_ Mum told me to tell you that the pizza will be here in twenty minutes.  _ He signs, avoiding eye 

contact with both boys, instead opting for looking at their hands, waiting for one of them to respond.

 

_ Okay, we’ll come down when it gets here.  _ Phil signs back, and immediately turns back around to face Dan, while Martyn quietly leaves the room.

 

“So, what do you want to do while we wait for the pizza?”

 

_ I don’t know, i’m fine with whatever. _

 

“Well, it shouldn’t be too long, so why don’t we just internet or something until it gets here?” Phil suggests, but it ends up as more of a question because he wants to make sure Dan is okay with it.

 

Dan nods, and as he is getting out his laptop, Phil is getting his from off his desk, and when he turns around, Dan is slouched in an awkward position, his laptop balanced precariously on his legs.

 

Phil chuckles at the sight, and when Dan looks at him he laughs even more.

 

“Dan, what on earth are you doing? No wonder you have horrible posture.”

 

_ It's my browsing position. And i have way better posture than you do anyways. _

 

Phil just shakes his head and scrolls through his tumblr queue for a little while, while Dan does the same next to him. Every few minutes, Dan will start giggling, and when Phil asks him what's so funny, he turns his laptop towards Phil to show him some meme he found.

 

After about fifteen minutes of just goofing around on the internet, there is a knock on Phil’s door, only this time instead of Martyn, it’s his mum. 

 

“My god, Phil, you have a guest over and still you find a way to be on that laptop of yours,” his mum says, but she is smiling, so he knows that she is (mostly) joking.

 

“I know, mum, ‘our generation spends too much time in front of screens’,” Phil replies, a matching smile on his face.

 

“Anyways, boys, the pizza is downstairs if you want to come down and get some,” she says, and then walks away, leaving the door open behind her.

 

“Muuuum, you’ve left my door open again,” Phil whines after her, and he just gets an amused chuckle in return.

 

_ I am starving. Want to go get some pizza? _

 

“Yeah, sure.”

 

\---

Once they have eaten much more pizza than necessary, Phil follows Dan up the stair to his bedroom, where they both immediately climb into Phil’s bed and get comfy in the cocoon of blankets they had created before they went downstairs.

 

_ Wanna watch something on netflix?  _ Dan asks, and Phil nods his head, reaching for his laptop, which is at the other end of the bed.

 

“What do you want to watch?” Phil asks as netflix begins loading, and he watches Dan’s face as he thinks of a movie for them to watch.

 

Suddenly, Dan’s face splits into a sarcastic grin, and he starts giggling.  _ Can we watch the bee movie?  _ He asks, and as soon as he does, he starts giggling again.

 

“God, you are such a meme, Dan,” Phil says, but he’s giggling too, and already pulling up the bee movie on his screen. 

 

As the movie progresses, both boys grow more and more sleepy, and eventually Phil finds it hard to keep his eyes open. He can feel Dan’s breathing slow down next to him, and when he looks over the other boy is already asleep. Phil turns off the movie and puts his laptop on top of Dan’s on the floor next to the bed, before burrowing under the covers and closing his eyes, ignoring the fact that he’s still in his school clothes.

 

Both boys are tired to realise what’s happening, but their subconscious’ take control, and  both boys reach out at the same time, and intertwine their fingers together under the blankets, smiles resting on both their faces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, still no Dan and Phil action, but the Martyn backstory is finally here! Don't worry, i still have plans for martyn in the future!
> 
> Again, sorry for the really late update, but hopefull the next chapter will be done within the next week!
> 
> Let me know what you think in the comments! (They literally always make my day)


	4. a/n: this will NOT be an abandoned fic

Hey dudes,

It's been a while. I really wish i had been more on top of this fic up until now, because hell, maybe it could've even been finished by now. I know i have some people subscribed to this who will get an email as soon as i click the publish button. So to the people who liked it enough in the beginning to subscribe, im sorry for being so laggy with the updating, but i refuse to let this go unfinished, because this is a journey that i started back in march, and i too want to see how the story ends, so please stick with me and be patient.

Anyone who just came across this, I really hope you like what you've read so far, and i would love some feedback, positive or negative!! Also if you want to subscribe to know when i update (which will be somewhat regularly), that'd be fucking fantastic!!! Thanks :)

i won't go into large detail about what's happened over the past few months, but some important things include that I started losing interest in Dan and Phil, and also that my mental health has been all over the place. Generally when the latter happens, i get into dan and phil some more again. And i can feel myself getting pulled back in again. Ive decided i want to finish this, and update somewhat regularly, and i have some of the next chapter started already and ill hopefully post that at some point in the next few days. 

Much, much love,  
Del

p.s. i was looking through my inbox, and i saw all the old comments and they all made me smile again, and i remember how much those used to make my day, and thats one of the parts that im looking forward to the most about returning :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also i want to start using twitter, so if it wouldnt be a bother please go follow @bisexualfuckboy on twitter and ill start being active soon! Also, if people do follow, ill post updates on my fics every once in a while:)


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